Aesthetics and “Damaged Products”

For my pre-writeup, I am looking for sources and topic opinions around aesthetics and damaged products. Here is gist.

There is something I’ve noticed with people, but I don’t know how to….bottle it up. I have a plug-in microphone I use for recording podcasts and in-field interviews for my iPhone. Punchy (Emma’s French Bulldog) chewed it up a bit, and it looks really bad. It works fine, and I am still using it, but three people have told me to get a new one. I have also had some say that they wouldn’t even pick it up as it looks a certain way – junky. But I don’t mind it at all, just wear and tear. At first I was bothered by it, but then mentally decided it’s just material that has been shaped different, it’s still “the product”.

I wrote down three thoughts before collecting materials as possible areas – ideas to explore when searching for information. I would like to get anyone’s opinion or suggestions on materials. If someone has a better way to state what I am after please mention anything…there is something with aesthetics and people’s perception there.

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Aesthetics of Damaged Products and its relationship between owner and observer. Wear and tear on products in first-world countries and the importance of aesthetics.

The idea of removing perfection – perfect aesthetics for added value; a sense of uniqueness from mass produce objects.

Prolonging the use of objects and changing people’s perception of relevance by designing imperfections into a design’s aesthetics.